Audiobus: Use your music apps together.

What is Audiobus?Audiobus is an award-winning music app for iPhone and iPad which lets you use your other music apps together. Chain effects on your favourite synth, run the output of apps or Audio Units into an app like GarageBand or Loopy, or select a different audio interface output for each app. Route MIDI between apps — drive a synth from a MIDI sequencer, or add an arpeggiator to your MIDI keyboard — or sync with your external MIDI gear. And control your entire setup from a MIDI controller.

Download on the App Store

Audiobus is the app that makes the rest of your setup better.

Nanostudio 2.0.1 update available.

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Comments

  • @dendy said:
    Perfect APP is myth :lol:

    I guess you’e never used BeBot then.

  • edited May 2019
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  • I think the ‘don’t use touchscreen benefits like double tap etc because it’s not intuitive’ on an app as complex as NS2 is kind of not giving the general user credit. I mean it’d take less than a minute to figure out something like ‘two finger tap on clip = copy clip’. Anyone that’s gonna spend £20+ on an app isn’t gonna resent having to look at a manual now and again.

    I totally agree with you, in theory you're perfectly true. But in my experience reality is very different. People are not willing to spend time reading manual (at least most of them), they want obvious control, clear for first look. Here comes also one big contradiction - people want easy "all in one screen" UI, but on other side they want tons and tons deep features .. it's hard to merge together those two request categories.

    Using of double (not sure with triple;)) taps at some level is good idea, but overuse it is bad idea. Anyway - i think NS2 uses double taps in good balance at all places where it makes sense but not overuses them.

    Regarding keyboard - this is one point where i perfectly understand why people want direct access to keyboard from all basic screens and i fully support this request, all i can do is promise i will try convince Matt to implement it sooner or later ;-)

  • I wold say that ableton is the perfect daw, other than one big issue for me.... It's not on iOS lol but it really kills it in every category

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  • @palm said:
    I don't see NS2 adopting popup windows anytime soon, but it would certainly make a great piece of software even greater imo.

    By the way, I agree with others (@dendy) that floating windows are almost always a "sub-optimal" UX (overlap, need to manually arrange/resize, etc). BUT in a situation where the functionality is not known in advance, they're the best compromise between UX efficiency / flexibility and implementation / design overhead. NO thought has to be wasted by the app developer on how the UI should work / be arranged (as that is up to the user), and in most cases, implementation of floating windows should also be the easiest of all possible routes.

    Particularly for NS2, it could be an ADDITION to the fixed grid-based UI in the shape of a "popout" button for relevant elements (for example, the keyboard and plugins).

    hardware sequencer (squarp pyramid*)

    *however Xequence is my go to when I'm away from my studio :-) truly a wonderful sequencer!

    Haha... thanks... well, you could always use a second iOS device running Xequence via Bluetooth MIDI ;)

  • Used this for her first time since I bought it yesterday, spending the day working it out. It’s very polished and easy to use now that one can properly use all tools - midi effects, including keyboards such as kB-1. Very nice - looking forward to discovering more of it,

  • I'm deeply interested in creative workflows and I'm in no doubt that window overlay is the most optimal for productivity because it allows the most workflow options. (it depends on screen size though, too small and flipping screens is better, so maybe 11inch and bigger ipads suit it best). This is why currently my most used hosts are AUM and apeMatrix. The less navigating of menus the better.

    However if you're one of those who only uses the same apps and the same host at all times and likes to make the same type of output etc, then the non overlay style might work for you because you can motor learn the controls. for people wanting to try different options you can't really match the ability to resize plugin windows.

    I think in NS2, because it's got an iphone/9.7 ipad heritage it's got that fixed display in it's DNA, but for larger ipads it's not always the best solution, but it's difficult to cater for everything in mobile and generally it gets a lot of things right :)

  • People think using floating windows are better, or more efficient - but if you actually watch them it's really not. On a small screen it's even worse, because you don't (mostly) have the space for it. Having just spent some time with a client where their users were convinced a new system was less efficient (it wasn't - it just seemed less efficient to them because it was different - the numbers rarely lie), the gap between perceived and actual efficiency is something very much on my mind at the moment.

    What works quite well is something like Ubuntu Unity, where you have tabs which bring up different windows. That way you don't have to mess around with positioning, closing, opening, resizing. Nanostudio mostly has this workflow anyway (it's there for the internal stuff - just not really optimized for AUFX). The thing that really kills this workflow is switching between different screens, as now not only do you have to switch to a different screen, but you have to kill all the floating windows so you can access it... I did some analysis of this once for a project and it's not good.

    A kind of UX trueism is that you can have flexibility, or you can have efficiency. Pick one. There's always a trade off - and workflows that give you maximum flexibility, significantly compromise efficiency unfortunately.

  • @wim said:

    @dendy said:
    Perfect APP is myth :lol:

    I guess you’e never used BeBot then.

    My work here is done.

  • I’m deeply concerned the developer will actually implement all of this and make a mess of an app which in my opinion is as close to perfect as they come. Yikes.

  • @db909 said:
    I’m deeply concerned the developer will actually implement all of this and make a mess of an app which in my opinion is as close to perfect as they come. Yikes.

    Agreed. I like the UX in NS2 - I just want the ability to quickly access AU3 and buss effects from the synth screen. Everything else I'm fine with. This discussion should probably go to the NS2 forum...

    Fortunately Matt seems to have good taste and is sufficiently stubborn that he'll stick to his (great) vision.

  • edited May 2019

    Know what would be cool is if AB3 could implement a fly-out keyboard that is tied to its app switching tab. Overlay functionality is already baked into everything that supports AB3 by virtue of the existing switching tab, right?

    OR a fly out Auv3 GUI container. Imagine being able to hit a button on the switcher to fly in a plug-in like kb1 (or anything else, really). It’d be the default action for switching to an AU, but you could still work with them in the AB3 environment if they are opened from within AB3.

  • edited May 2019

    now what would be cool is if AB3 could implement a fly-out keyboard that is tied to its app switching tab. Overlay functionality is already baked into everything that supports AB3 by virtue of the existing switching tab, right?

    ok this is really AWESOME idea !! even better keyboard plus some knobs with configurable MIDI CC value to send !! That would be mindbowing !

    @Michael what do you think ?

  • edited May 2019

    @db909 said:
    I’m deeply concerned the developer will actually implement all of this and make a mess of an app which in my opinion is as close to perfect as they come. Yikes.

    I get the impression Matt is a great editor and very particular about maintaining his core vision. I would not worry about sharing any and all ideas.

  • edited May 2019
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  • Interesting seeing the different opinions re AU sizing. Being able to make AUs full screen, resizable, and draggable is one of the things I love about AUM. You can resize to only show the controls you want and run AUs side by side, etc. I find the locked AU window in other DAWs too restrictive so keep going to AUM first.

  • @gusgranite said:
    Interesting seeing the different opinions re AU sizing. Being able to make AUs full screen, resizable, and draggable is one of the things I love about AUM. You can resize to only show the controls you want and run AUs side by side, etc. I find the locked AU window in other DAWs too restrictive so keep going to AUM first.

    I would love a kind of middle ground, it's too easy for me to end up with a mess of windows in AUM and just getting back to the mixer view for adjusting levels is a hassle. I envision some sort of window snapping or window layout saving. A "dock" of sorts for quick access within AUM would also be very welcome.

    In a sense, it's the same problem I have with Audulus as compared with VCV Rack.

  • wimwim
    edited May 2019

    Yes, it is interesting how differently people view the windowing thing. Especially since I was firmly in the window camp and have come to just as firmly prefer the AudioBus approach. I never thought I’d hear myself say that.

    I think iOS devices are just too small for multiple windows and I find myself forever hunting for windows, resizing them, having to close them to get to UI elements, trying to find an arrangement that works, starting over with the whole process on a new session. Ugh.

    There are some times I do need to see more than one thing on the screen at a time. But that’s usually a keyboard. Not that often anything else. I hear Michael is contemplating a split screen of some kind, which could be nice.

    A fly out keyboard available from any app would be awesome!

    Back on topic ... NS2 with keyboard everywhere and easier access to midi FX, and I’d probably never ask for anything else. ‘Tis a work of art.

  • edited May 2019

    I got a question: what’s the typical use case for the delete record mode? I understand what it’s doing but I can’t see how it would fit into a workflow. Wouldn’t it be easier to just adjust the odd stray notes in the piano roll? It’s weird cause when you’re playing in this mode, the notes your play still sound, but are not recorded. So like what is the intent behind this? For example when I first came across it, I assumed it might be something like where any new notes I play would replace the older ones when they coincide or something. It just strikes me as odd. But one thing about this app is I’ve learned to never overlook a feature. They all appear to be in there for a reason and so that’s why ask. Anybody got a take on this?

    And when I’ve given it a go, it’s become a game of “exactly HOW LONG must I hold this note down?”

  • edited May 2019

    @db909
    here ;) https://www.blipinteractive.co.uk/community/index.php?p=/discussion/comment/6794/#Comment_6794

    go, it’s become a game of “exactly HOW LONG must I hold this note down?”

    it's not about how kong but about when... you need press nite slightly before time where it is recorded.. after that point you can release it - recorded notes are deleted immediately after they are hit.

  • @wim said:
    Back on topic ... NS2 with keyboard everywhere and easier access to midi FX, and I’d probably never ask for anything else. ‘Tis a work of art.

    And a mini timeline for when you're recording a performance in the instrument view! Currently if there isn't a song loop active you have no way of seeing where you are in the song if you're playing or recording in the instrument view.

  • @dendy said:
    @db909
    here ;) https://www.blipinteractive.co.uk/community/index.php?p=/discussion/comment/6794/#Comment_6794

    go, it’s become a game of “exactly HOW LONG must I hold this note down?”

    it's not about how kong but about when... you need press nite slightly before time where it is recorded.. after that point you can release it - recorded notes are deleted immediately after they are hit.

    Yeah makes sense. Not ideal, but I get it. Thanks. As to your process of getting the perfect melody, that’s why I like iKaossilator. You play the right note at the same time as the wrong note, and the wrong note is simply replaced. Super simple. But it’s not a daw, has shitty sounds, and 7 years after release not a single other app has adopted that clever way of erasing/deleting/live correcting. Maybe some day. But back to the lecture at hand...

  • @richardyot said:

    @wim said:
    Back on topic ... NS2 with keyboard everywhere and easier access to midi FX, and I’d probably never ask for anything else. ‘Tis a work of art.

    And a mini timeline for when you're recording a performance in the instrument view! Currently if there isn't a song loop active you have no way of seeing where you are in the song if you're playing or recording in the instrument view.

    This is a big one for me particularly when I want to record automation so would be nice to see it in the mixer (etc) view as well.

  • So I am no longer getting any sound from squaresynth 2 in NS2, checked it on 2 iPads, but would love it if someone else could confirm this. I've already posted on the Blip forum, but figured there is probably a better chance of finding someone with both those apps over here.

  • @Thardus said:
    So I am no longer getting any sound from squaresynth 2 in NS2, checked it on 2 iPads, but would love it if someone else could confirm this. I've already posted on the Blip forum, but figured there is probably a better chance of finding someone with both those apps over here.

    I just checked. I am not getting sound as well.

  • edited May 2019

    tried it, yeah, it is not working.. reported it to matt

    btw it somehow related to device sample rate changes - NS automatically switches between 44 and 48 khz based on default device sample rate - if i disconnect and reconnect headphones (which cause on my iPad Mini 5 switching to 48 and back to 44), it starts play sound again..

  • @AudioGus said:

    @richardyot said:

    @wim said:
    Back on topic ... NS2 with keyboard everywhere and easier access to midi FX, and I’d probably never ask for anything else. ‘Tis a work of art.

    And a mini timeline for when you're recording a performance in the instrument view! Currently if there isn't a song loop active you have no way of seeing where you are in the song if you're playing or recording in the instrument view.

    This is a big one for me particularly when I want to record automation so would be nice to see it in the mixer (etc) view as well.

    Add me on.

  • edited May 2019

    Good update in general. Happy to now see my AU Effects listed alphabetically. Would like to have real time swing/quantize after recording using the slider added to NS2. Having to set swing before recording is a bit limited. Yes can adjust notes in piano roll but global swing slider during playback allows faster experimenting. To my ears the swing needs bit more swing though.

  • @stormbeats said:
    Good update in general. Happy to now see my AU Effects listed alphabetically. Would like to have real time swing/quantize after recording using the slider added to NS2. Having to set swing before recording is a bit limited. Yes can adjust notes in piano roll but global swing slider during playback allows faster experimenting. To my ears the swing needs bit more swing though.

    Yeah I would love to have realtime non-destructive swing in NS2 as well. I don't find the current method flexible enough.

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